A woman is arrested over Berbick murder

A woman involved in a long-running land dispute with former heavyweight boxing champion Trevor Berbick has been detained for questioning in connection with his death, police have revealed.

Authorities identified the woman as the mother of a 20-year-old suspect arrested on Sunday. Berbick's body was found on Saturday in a church courtyard with wounds to the back of his head. A 2-inch-thick metal pipe found at the scene is believed to be the murder weapon, police said.

The woman and her son are being questioned. Their names have not been released. Earlier this year, Berbick was charged with assault for allegedly punching the woman, police said.

She was detained Sunday night and lives in the parish of Portland, about 80 miles east of Kingston, where Berbick also lived.

Berbick was the last boxer to face Muhammad Ali in the ring and briefly held the WBC heavyweight title before losing it to Mike Tyson in 1986.

Assistant Police Commissioner Les Green said Sunday that detectives were investigating whether a family conflict sparked the attack. Berbick, who was believed to be 52, was pronounced dead by a local doctor in the church courtyard next to the three-bedroom house where he was raised.

Detective Sgt. Kenneth Bailey of the Port Antonio police station in Portland told The Jamaica Gleaner that Berbick was last seen alive early Saturday at a nearby bar.

"The body had four wounds to the back of the head, as he was probably attacked from behind," Bailey told the newspaper. "The impression and damage done to the skull have indicated that a machete may have been used by his attacker or attackers to murder him."

After beating Ali in 1981 in an unanimous decision in the Bahamas, Berbick went on to win the WBC heavyweight title fours years later in a decision over Pinklon Thomas.

His reign was short, however, as a 20-year-old Tyson knocked out Berbick in the second round Nov. 22, 1986, to become the youngest heavyweight champ.

He fought from 1976 to 2000, finishing with a record of 50-11 with one draw and 33 knockouts. He also fought for his Caribbean homeland at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Following his retirement from the ring, Berbick was convicted in the U.S. for sexual assault, grand theft and burglary.

"We have our challenges in life, but Trevor seemed to handle his challenges very badly," said C. Lloyd Allen, former president of the Jamaica Boxing Board and a close friend. "Once he lost to Tyson, he just went down a slippery slope."

In 1991, Berbick was convicted for attacking his former business manager, who testified the boxer put a gun to her head and accused her of stealing money from him.

The following year, he was convicted of raping a family baby sitter in Florida and was sentenced to four years in prison. He also was convicted in 1992 for forging his ex-wife's signature to get a mortgage on a home.

After 15 months in prison, Berbick was deported from the U.S. He went to Canada, where he lived for a time following the 1976 Olympics. He eventually moved back to the U.S. but was deported a second time.